Rocking Horse Winner and The Destructors
There are many differences and similarities between Graham Greene’s “The Destructors” and D.H. Lawrence’s “Rocking Horse Winner.” One general difference is that in “The Destructors” the setting is in Great Britain, after the bombing had happened during World War 1, when the buildings were destroyed. The setting of “Rocking Horse Winner” is a suburban community located on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. This one distinct difference affects the entire background of each story. The setting of “The Destructors” brings mood and feeling into the story were ass the setting of “Rocking Horse Winner” is just a general setting which could be changed and would not have a significant affect on the story as a whole. One general similarity between the two stories is that they both have a young boy as the main character, but the use of this character is very different in each story. The boy in “Rocking Horse Winner” is more innocent and unknowing of the evil the world can hold, he also hasn’t reached the rebellion stage of adolescence. In the other story “The Destructors” you have “T” who comes from a high class English family but is forced into poverty by the war, but he has already begun his rebellion against what is “good.” The similarities and differences between money, class, and family values in the stories are much more significant because they have more affect on each story and on the reader.
One of the key differences between “...
Comparing the Writing Styles of Bradford to Byrd In the Elements of Literature English book the excerpts from the stories of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford and The History of the Dividing Line by William Byrd can be compared and contrasted in many ways. Whether it's the difference in writing styles, the difference purposes for writing the stories, or simply each writer's tone, this paper will give examples of each comparison or contrast.
A fairly obvious comparison between these two stories is the setting in which they take place. Both occur in New England territory, mainly in the forests and hilly country. It also seems as if the land in each of the tales is rocky and hard to work. The geographical features of these lands sound much the same. In fact, each of the two takes place in an area very close to, if not in, Massachusetts. Tom Walker lives a few miles from Boston, while Jabez Stone lives in New Hampshire, near the area where that state meets up with Vermont and Massachusetts. Daniel Webster lives in Massachusetts, in a town called Marshfield. The geographical and cartographical similarities here show an obvious parallel between the two.
The stylistic choices an author makes when writing has a huge impact on the mood and atmosphere of the piece created. Take, for example, Cormac Mcarthy’s The Road, and Gregory Robert’s Shantaram. The two incredible novels are in many ways similar, however also very different due to a different writing styles.
...re the reader is not able to make any solid connection with any of these characters. It is arguably only through the stories foreshadowing where both authors prepare us with little details like the mileage of the car written down by the grandmother in O’Connor’s story likewise the boys preparation of the stones in Jackson’s Lottery that would inevitably help the reader to comprehend how both these author’s reached the horrifically shocking climatic endings in both short stories. I believe the authors similar use of these three variables help the reader to understand the message being delivered through these stories of the human condition and its effects on a society that only embraces its traditional moral beliefs and values.
Both stories were insightful about the harsh reality of war. They give the reader a view of war. The pieces are filled with visuals and symbolism. I recommend to all readers. Has a true message in both works.
When comparing the themes of each story, surprising similarities arise. First, both are developed around the lives of children. In “The Destructors” a group of boys called the Wormsley Gang have the same view of the world around them. They have grown up together and share stories about the bombs that destroyed their town. They also challenge each other to accomplish various tasks. The house that the boys ultimately destroy represents the greediness of Mr. Thomas, an architect who owns the tattered home. The Wormsley Gang called him ‘Old Misery’. In the Rocking Horse Winner”, the story’s plot is thickend by a a young boys obsessive desire to “become lucky”. This young boy, Paul, believes that his house is continually whispering, “…there must be more money…there must be more money”. Paul is able to relate the self-proclaimed dissatificatoin of his mothers life with the odd mood of his house. Paul knows that although his mother appears to have everything together on the outside, she does not love him on the inside. Paul believes that he can please his mother if he is able to find a way to give her more money. In both stories, the houses were very symbolic.
The African Americans fought hard to make themselves equal to the whites, some of the leaders for this were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X who spoke on behave of their people to try and fight through racism so that it can end. Unlike the African Americans, the Jewish people listened to the Germans, they followed all of their rules to stay alive because they were in a more life threatening situation; neither races deserved the treatment that they received. The racial differences, mistreatment of humans, and injustices between these two stories are similar but different, both authors tried their best to explain as much as they could on what they were personally experiencing or even telling a story on someone else’s experience, but no matter what in the end we are all equal
Williams’ two pieces have much similarity in topic and style. In both pieces, she uses an emotional tone to capture the audiences’ attention. And once she has your attention she gives the facts. This is very effective method. Also in both pieces, she uses sarcasm. Sarcasm can be good and bad. But Williams uses sarcasm well in proving her points. On contrary, she uses so well that if you don’t pay attention you will miss it. This can be ineffective if the reader does not possess a high intellectual capacity. Furthermore, the issues that William has brought to the table in these two pieces are very important and overlooked. We should not let the government just walk over us and the land we need to live. We have to question and fight for the land that is irreplaceable. We need to question government actions even if their reasoning sounds convincing.
The books Stuart: A Life Backwards and Once in a House on Fire have many similarities both of the books are non-fiction and they share similar themes such as poverty and abuse which I have choose to look at closely with a focus on how these themes are narrated. The narration in the two books are completely different, Stuart: A Life Backwards has a third person narration which is done by Alexander Masters and all the memories are recalled by Stuart Shorter, while Once in a House on Fire is first person narration where Andrea Ashworth recalls her own memories of her life. However, there are differences between the two books for example the language used to tell the stories.
They were equal every which way” , this automatically tells the reader this story is in the future and must be fiction because not everyone has equal rights here. In addition, in both stories the main character wants to prove his point and opinion to a crowd of people, but in the end gets killed. In the short story “Old Glory” Gran-Da went into the town and tried to light the flag on fire and he said “Bit by bit, piece by piece, we've given away all the things this used to stand for. SOS was the end of it. Now this poor old flag doesn't stand for anything at all. That being so, I think it's time to put it out of its misery” and then he got shot, for stating his own opinion. In “Harrison Bergeron” Harrison just wanted to take off his heavy handicaps, and actually show his face because it wasn’t fair, so he stood up and tore off the handicaps in front of everyone, and showed his beautiful face. Furthermore, the stories make you have to re-read some parts to understand what is happening, and they use suspenseful techniques to portray the whole story. The author of “Old Glory” uses suspense in the moment when Gran-Da had something poking out of his bag, for it said “He was carrying a lumpy plastic
The short story, "Rocking-Horse Winner", and the movie based on it contrast considerably. When the written story has ended the movie continues with ideas, which may not come from the author. Three major differences of the two are: the mother, the father, and the ending. In the movie the mother, Hester, is portrayed as a loving and self-sacrificing person. While in the short story she is exposed to be a cold-hearted, and greedy person. Another instance where the short story and movie differ is the role of the father.
...eaders because the stories are woven in a related fashion. They both take place in similar worlds with comparable conflicts. The governments of both are more concerned with keeping their way of life than they are with individual people. Both stories center on a teenage girl who has become targeted by the government because she has upset the norm in some way and has in turn become part of a rebellion. Both of the girls view themselves as being less important than the ones they hold dear. Both book series have different groups in society that are meant to keep the people separate and focused on certain tasks. The two series contain many differences, but when they are stripped to their barest parts, it is evident that they are both meant to serve as tales that will encourage the readers to fight for what is right, no matter how strong the force that they stand against.
The Rocking-Horse Winner is a tragic story that demonstrates how materialism is very destructive in people’s lives. D.H. Lawrence uses one of the main characters, Hester, to symbolize how greed heavily affects the idea of materialism. Hester’s need for money develops the idea that happiness and love is destroyed by the need for money. Lawrence uses money in her short story to convey the idea of how neglect from a mother destroys an innocent, young child such as Paul. Lawrence’s symbolism reveals that children like Paul need love and compassion from their elders. Hester, Paul’s rocking horse and the whispering of the house represent greed, selfishness, and love. They also reveal the character’s real feelings and thoughts of neglect, detachment, greed and selfishness.
Many people forget about the most important things in life, like family and enjoying life
The basic ideas of the two novels are also similar. They have to do with rebellion against the so-called perfect new world and the sanctuary they find at the end. John the savage found peace by hanging himself. (It was hard to notice that, but I did. It made an excellent ending to the novel.)